Defying Expectations
by HuonParticlesAreHarmless
Summary: Becoming a professor at a boarding school is hard, it comes with hormone-riddled adolescents that get to all kinds of high-jinx. Add magic, then you're sorta screwed.


**A/N: Hello all, I'm back-ish. I'm not abandoning 'Just Another Mate,' it's just this one has been bothering me lately and didn't let up until I posted it. Hopefully, it's not too bad.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, JK Rowling does. I am merely tweaking it a bit.**

* * *

The sleeping figure curled up in the corner of the train cabin closet to the window, he could have been easily dismissed as unimportant to the uninitiated, but this is no ordinary person. For he, yes _he_, is not of this dimension. Unfortunately for him, he didn't volunteer for this.

Maybe it might be easier if we went a few hours back to where this all started.

-Flashback-

_His name was James Fredricksson, normal 35-year-old bloke from Cardiff who happens to obsess about the Harry Potter series, because sometimes people need to escape reality._

_So it was on an ordinary day when the extraordinary happened. James was walking his dog, a Siberian husky called Romulus, when the weather changed rather rapidly and drastically in the span of a few minutes. The wind had picked up and the clouds were getting darker._

_James stopped and looked towards the sky._

Well that looks properly ominous_,_ _he thought._ We should probably get to the house before it gets worse.

_In the span of him thinking about it, Fate answered this ill-fated thought. Some sort of electrical energy shot from the clouds and struck James and his dog, but it didn't dissipate._

_The strange energy continued to encompass the man and dog, getting brighter and brighter. Until finally, they vanished, leaving only a smoking dog collar in its wake._

_Wherever this light was taking him, it had stretched him and made his insides feel as if live snakes were wriggling to get free._

_Finally all the uncomfortable sensations stopped. James, thoroughly exhausted, blacked out into nothingness._

-End Flashback-

James jolted awake suddenly, accidentally kicking Romulus in the process.

Romulus whined.

"Sorry boy," he placated and rubbed behind the dog's jaw. "But where are we?" Romulus began sniffing around himself, but found being near James' feet were where it was most comfortable to plop himself down. He still had a clue as to how he got here in the first place.

He stood up and began to check the compartment. Two trunks were on the overhead storage with the initials: **A.C.P.**

On the opposite side of the compartment had a mirror and as he looked through it, he was surprised that he was no longer wearing the jeans, t-shirt, and brown leather bomber jacket. In its place was fitted ensemble of: charcoal grey suit sans the jacket with a black shirt, waistcoat, white skinny tie, and to his left on his seat was a black heavy-looking frock coat, striped grey/white scarf and a black monogrammed leather gloves.

On his right ring finger was a rather large ring with a gold 'P' on top of a sapphire inlay, and on each side of the ring was a coat of arms. A holster on his left forearm containing a…

_A wand. __11 ¾ in, __White Mountain Birch with a double dragon heartstrings core, and flexible._ The back of his mind supplied._ Where the hell did that come from?_

But the biggest surprise was that instead of the crew cut with a small fauxhawk and chocolate eyes, he had shoulder length raven black hair with the hair pulled back at the nape and frosty blue eyes, a few strands framing his now sharp, handsome aristocratic face.

He made faces at the mirror, showing it was really his visage but it wasn't at the same time, which it reflected back. _I don't smile anymore._ He mused randomly. _Not since…_

James shook his head, dispelling the thought. He looked more closely at himself.

"It looks real," he tugged at the long loose hair. "Yes, definitely not dreaming. But it has an odd Victorian Era feel to it." The sway of the compartment and the muffled noise of steel scraping against steel, informed him that he was, indeed, on a train. He sat down near the window again and looked out the glass, the scenery quickly passing by.

_That answers the question of where I am,_ He mused. _But not where this is headed._

His 'memories' supplied the answer swiftly and violently, giving him a sort of mental whiplash. He stumbled back slightly and sat down on the cushioned bench dully.

"Wha…?" he sputtered. "But that's…not possible… I'm… I'm Lord Aidan Cadmus Peverell," He inhaled sharply and exhaled with a loud hiss. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his knuckles, and then sighed noisily. "The new Ancient Runes professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry…Aw hell, and this the teacher's train."

James felt an oncoming headache as he contemplated the implications.

Romulus suddenly sat up; making James' head snap up and look in the direction where Romulus was looking. The compartment door opened to admit a slightly younger Maggie Smith but she looked like…

_Minerva McGonagall: Deputy Headmistress, Head of Griffyndor House, and Transfiguration Mistress at Hogwarts. _His 'memory' supplied. _Who is now looking at you? Do something!_

James, well now Aidan, blanked his face and raised an elegant brow in question.

"May I sit with you, Lord Peverell?" she asked politely.

Aidan nodded curtly, his military training giving him a blank mask. "Deputy Headmistress."

Then proceeded to check the satchel that was next to him. It contained a few documents that his 'memories' told him that it was paperwork containing the Peverell Estate dealings and his lesson plans for the third through seventh years. He analyzed the his syllabus for all the years, checking them over for any mistakes he might have overlooked.

"Minerva," she corrected, stilling his expensive muggle fountain pen, as she made herself comfortable with a book sitting on her lap.

"Pardon?" he looked up at her with the papers still on his lap.

"Call me Minerva," she reiterated. "We're colleagues."

He nodded courteously. "Aidan, then." And tried to look through the paperwork again.

Romulus sniffed her for a bit, then apparently deemed her safe and plopped himself down again at Aidan's feet.

"Are you finally done?" she inquired. If dogs could shrug, Aidan guessed that's Romulus did. "Your familiar is very beautiful."

Said animal barked in response, with an air of smugness, as if Romulus agreed to the comment. How he did it, Aidan didn't know.

"Thank you," Aidan answered and gave a polite smile before returning to the papers, again. "I'm sorry not trying to be rude, it's just…the headmaster sort of demanded that I be done with the lesson plans to get early approval. Then I suppose a meeting with tea and more lemon drops," then more to himself than anything, "barmy, that man."

Minerva laughed outright at that. "I can neither confirm nor deny that statement. Anyway, it's alright," she smiled. "I've got this book to read anyway." She then opened the book, _Transfiguration: A Transformed Tale,_ and began to read, getting lost in the pages.

* * *

After a few minutes of reading the same line over and over, he just stopped trying.

_Well, I'm a world-renowned Runes/Arithmancy Master, Dueling Master, Potions Master, Master Occlumens and Legilimens (Licensed Mind Healer), an arctic wolf animagus, was an Unspeakable for the Department of Mysteries for ten years, _He rolled his eyes and shook his head._ And I like to bake soufflés…Why don't they just make him like a god, for Heaven's sake?_

He mentally sighed. _This "Aidan" is perfect in every which way, a little too perfect… I mean this man who I replaced is _very_ powerful and _very_ rich. Why the hell am I even here? _He snorted mentally. _Fate is a cruel bastard to just chuck me here without any inkling of what I'm supposed to do now._

His errant thoughts continued to swirl, as he steadily "analyzed" his lesson plans. He even had the physical movements down, his human companion none the wiser.

* * *

Finally, the sound of the train whistle interrupted his musings, as the train slowed to a stop at Hogsmeade Station. Aidan packed everything back into the satchel and donned the frock coat along with the scarf and gloves. He shrunk down his trunks and put it along with his lesson plans in the satchel and put the strap on. Aidan gave Minerva a small smile and offered arm to her as they disembarked the train. She responded in kind and accepted the proffered arm.

As they walked towards the carriages, he was surprised to see the Thestrals that were usually invisible to those who haven't witnessed death and jerked abruptly to a stop.

"What's wrong?" Minerva asked concernedly.

"Until we get into the carriage," he responded grimly, ignoring the question. A few looked in their direction, looking specifically towards Aidan. He began guiding them into one of the carriages and Aidan helped her in then closed the door behind him.

"I was just surprised to see the Thestrals," he admitted, as they sat down and the carriage began to move. "That's all."

She was silent for a few moments. "I'm sorry for your loss," she said quietly.

He thought about the one woman that he had loved. The one he was going to marry. The one he lost.

-Flashback-

"_James Andrew Fredricksson!" a voice cried out. "We're going to be late!"_

_A dull _'THUD,' _a few things falling, muffled curses, and a clear: "I'm okay!" rang through the small two story cottage._

_James skidded to a halt next to his fiancée. "How do I look, Jess?" he asked with a crooked grin and spun around for her. She, being Jessica Luna Carlisle, smoothed out a few creases on his tuxedo jacket and straightened his black bow tie._

"_There! Perfect!" she grinned. She checked her watch. "Bloody hell! Let's go!"_

_James smirked. "Language, Jess," he said mockingly._

_She swatted the back of his head and they both entered the black BMW 325e. "Hush, you."_

* * *

_They pulled up at Buckingham Palace; James flashed his I.D., showing that he was the director of the royal security, to get through the gates. The valet took their car and he escorted her into the lobby where all the dignitaries were milling and mingling._

_James turned to Jess. "I'll be right back, I just need to pass off the reigns to my second," he addressed her quickly. "Try not to get arrested," he smirked._

_She swatted his arm with a roll of her eyes and then a quick peck on the lips. "I'll try," she said dryly._

_The man James was looking for was only a few feet away, when a high-pitched scream pierced the air. He whirled around to see what the commotion was about and the second he found it, his heart dropped._

_There in her beautiful evening gown, was Jess with a man who had a gun to her temple. Everyone stopped and watched the scene unfold with morbid fascination._

"_Nobody move or she gets it!" the man yelled with an insane gleam in his eyes._

_Jess whimpered and locked eyes with James, who had his side arm out. He mouthed, "It's going to be alright." And really, he hoped it did._

_One of the security officers pointed his Glock 9mm side arm. "Drop the gun now!" he commanded._

_The man, about 6' and muscular, laughed condescendingly. "Not until I see her!"_

_Everyone looked confused. Who was 'her'?_

"_Who're you talking about?" another man asked._

_The man waved the gun around in an impatient gesture, causing the guests to cower and whimper at the motion._

"_You know!" he growled. "Princess Diana! I want to see her!"_

"_She's not here," one of the dignitaries stalled. "She on a humanitarian tour in Africa."_

"_You're lying!" the man snarled. "The telly said she'd be here! Tell her to come here."_

_The man was getting impatient, thinking furiously, James made eye contact with all his staff under his command, then he made small imperceptible gestures of the tactics he wanted to use; though risky, he decided it's the only way to get the man down without bloodshed._

_Unfortunately, one of the guests became a little agitated and lunged at the man, causing said man to pull the trigger on his already hair-trigger response. James saw Jess' eyes show a quick flash of surprise, resignation, and then acceptance before landing on the floor dully, a pool of blood crowning her auburn hair. The guest who lunged at the man had faltered at the shot fired, giving James an opening._

_James saw red and emptied the clip into the bastard, while stalking forward until he was looming over the man as the blood pooled around him. His anger left in a 'whoosh' as knees buckled and he gathered Jess' head onto his lap and began to rock back and forth, he sobbed brokenly as his world had just come crashing down around him. He was in denial, not wanting to believe what had happened. An inhuman howl of pain and despair was ripped from his throat as he continued to rock, and kissing her soft wavy auburn hair as he always done, showing his affection._

"_I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he cried over and over. "Please… please…"_

_No one moved. No one spoke. Not one dared to give him comfort for they knew there wouldn't be any. They just watched James with eyes akin to solemnity and pity._

-End Flashback-

Aidan nodded and looked out the window. "Thank you," he whispered and didn't say anything else until they reached the castle.

* * *

Hagrid was there to greet them and to allow them to enter Hogwarts proper.

"Ah, ye're tah last ones ter arrive," informed the groundskeeper. "Welcome ter 'Ogwarts, Perffesr Peverell! 'M Rubeus 'Agrid, the Keeper of the Keys and Grounds. And welcome back Perffesr McGon'gall! Ther 'bout tah start dinner soon."

Aidan only nodded genially, not knowing what to expect and Minerva lead them to the Great Hall.

Minerva stopped five feet before they reached the large open golden doors to the Great Hall. She turned to Aidan with an impish smirk.

"Ready to face the staff?" she asked.

He raised a brow on what she implied. "I believe I'm not being thrown to a pack of rabid animals, why are making me think otherwise?" he asked mock accusingly.

She chuckled. "Just wondering. They don't bite…much."

His eyes narrowed, but belied his amusement as they glinted with mischief.

She tugged his elbow into the hall. "Let's go before Albus makes the elves prepare lemon drops and cake."

Aidan just rolled his eyes.

* * *

Walking into the Great Hall was mesmerizing to Aidan, but decide to make his face neutral in light of the fact he was not really the man Albus Too Many Names Dumbledore had hired. He nodded towards the man and received the infamous eye-twinkle in return. All the other teachers looked at him in curiosity.

"Barmy, that man. Is it too late to run away?" He whispered to his companion.

Minerva's lip twitched to suppress the laughter that was showing in her eyes. "I'm afraid so," she whispered back with mock solemnity.

He sighed and looked to the ceiling as if it held the answers to his problem. Then cursed rather fluently and creatively in many dead and active languages under his breath.

She stifled a snort of laughter as he sat down next to her. "I don't know some of what you said, but I think some of that is not anatomically possible, Aidan."

Before he could retort, the headmaster chose that moment to interrupt. "Ah, Aidan. So good of you finally join us."

Aidan gave him a level stare before answering. "Likewise, Headmaster," he replied tonelessly.

A few of the staff watched the byplay in curiosity.

Dumbledore chuckled and was twinkling even brighter. "Come now, my boy. It's not that bad. You'll like it here."

He rolled his eyes and just ignored the man in lieu of the food appearing.

After a few bites, Aidan reached for his mug of tea. "I suppose I should be grateful you didn't try to get me into the Defense position," he muttered darkly into his mug.

"Well, I'm glad you can see it my way, my boy," the Headmaster grinned and then continued on with his meal.

Aidan huffed and stabbed his meal viciously.

"I'm sure the chicken is sorry for what it did, Aidan," Minerva snickered.

"No it's not," he whispered snarkily, she just ignored it and gave him a small smile.

The discussions from then on were light and mostly inconsequential: about the returning students and the challenges that came with them. Everyone seemed to dance around an issue and refused to actually touch upon it.

_Weird_, he thought.

When the headmaster was about to leave, he had asked Aidan to see him after had finished his meal.

"The password is: James Fredricksson," the old man whispered in his ear so that only he could hear and quickly walked away through the staff door.

Aidan had choked on his tea; Minerva clapped his back a few times to expel the tea from his abused lungs. She looked at him concernedly, as well as a few others. He cast _Scourgify_ with a tap of his index fingeron his person, as he made a mess. Minerva raised a brow at the casual display of powerful magic and some were staring.

"What?" he snapped, slightly irritated.

A diminutive man, Ravenclaw's Head of House, Professor Filius Flitwick answered trying to placate Aidan. "Not a lot of people are able to do that."

"Really Master Flitwick? But you're one of the most prominent dueling masters out there." Aidan asked, his annoyance defused immediately. "Along with Potions Master Snape over there."

The Potions Master's head snapped up showing that his normally blank face showed a touch of surprise, but immediately went back to neutral. He nodded with reluctant respect at the honorific given by Aidan, which was one of the few indications of tolerance towards the new Runes Master of Hogwarts.

"Call me Filius, Master Flitwick makes me feel older than I already am," Filius smiled. Everyone followed by example, well, except the dour Potions Master, who merely raised a questioning brow at the social niceties and stalked out of the hall towards the dungeons, none of the staff batted any eyelash for blatant lack of respect.

_Brewing, _Aidan supposed. _I wonder if the staff actually knows anything about the man, other than what he mentions._

"Indeed, I am adept to wandless and nonverbal casting," Filius continued, not knowing Aidan's internal ramblngs. "But it takes a lot of focus and power to harness that kind of magic."

He just gave the Head of Ravenclaw an nod of acknowledgement.

"You, Aidan, are the talk of town lately," Pomona Sprout said, eager to talk to the new professor and changing the topic on a broader aspect.

Aidan raised an eyebrow. "Indeed?"

"Yes!" Aurora Sinistra, Astronomy professor, exclaimed.

Septima Vector, Arithmancy professor, nodded in agreement. "Most masters of their art respect you because not only do you have many masters under your belt, but to do it all at such a young age is nothing short of remarkable," she gushed. "The advances you've made in the field of arithmancy is amazing!"

Aidan cocked his head to the side. "But there's really not much _to_ talk about," he said modestly. "Not unless you'd want to bore the rest of them," gesturing to rest of the staff.

"Yes, spare us, lesser mortals," Charity Burbage, Muggle Studies professor, agreed.

A few of the staff laughed and smiled at his humble proclamation, then most talked about themselves, and gained some knowledge on the Runes Master in return.

* * *

Soon, everyone started to leave the Great Hall and into their private quarters. Minerva had offered to escort to the headmaster's office. As they moved out of the Great Hall, Aidan felt the need to explain himself.

"He just caught me off guard," he said as a way to explain his violent reaction to the headmaster's whispered entreaty.

She smiled knowingly. "I'm sure."

Aidan just sighed in acceptance.

The two walked towards the Headmaster's office in a sedate pace, neither willing to break the comfortable silence.

Soon, they stood in front of the guardian of the headmaster's office and Minerva turned to him. "Did he give you the password?" she asked.

One of his eyes twitched violently. "Yes," came the terse reply. "James Fredricksson."

The gargoyle leapt out-of-the-way. "I'll leave you to it then," she smirked, but before she walked away he had seized her hand to place a chaste kiss on her knuckles. Minerva blushed before walking way. Well, more like fled.

He shook his head in bemusement. Then sighed. _Shit._

He hung his head as if coming to his doom and ascended the moving spiral staircase. As the inevitable came closer, he straightened himself with as much dignity as a 'pureblood' would and entered the eccentric office.

The atmosphere was of high importance, yet it managed to instill a lot of warmth.

He looked at the desk, finding the Headmaster signing some documents.

"You wanted to see me, Headmaster?" he asked, softly announcing his presence—even though the man probably knew he was there.

"Ah, Aidan! Yes, please, sit down." He looked up, gazing over his half-moon spectacles. His eyes were kind, but there was something else. Mischief?

The runes master did as asked, sitting straight-backed and slightly stiff.

Putting aside a stack of papers, Dumbledore held out the bowl of sweets. "Lemon drops?"

He politely declined. _Are they actually drugged though like a lot of people seemed to think?_

Acting disappointed, the headmaster set the bowl back down after taking one for himself.

"As you might be wondering why I have asked you here," the older, much older, man began.

Aidan said nothing, just continued to stare flatly. The headmaster cleared his throat.

"I wondering if you would be kind as to deliver Harry Potter's letter," he continued, twinkled merrily, as if talking about the weather.

Aidan straightened his back unconsciously. "Are you out of your mind, Headmaster?"

"Albus."

"What? …Oh, yes, yes," He made an impatient gesture. "Are you barmy, _Albus_?"

Albus smiled in that infuriating way he usually did. "My mental faculties are quite sound. Thank you for your concern though, _James._"

A small hiss came unbidden from Aidan's throat and slumped in his chair. He didn't even try to deny it. It was just the question of: How?

He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "How did you know?" he asked flatly.

"A letter," the man answered cryptically.

Aidan snapped his eyes open and rolled them. "Yes, and?"

Albus leaned back and put a finger on his lips as if in deep thought. The corner of his lip twitched in amusement. "Just a brief overview of who you are, how you came to be here and how you know what the future holds."

Aidan's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "No details of the future?"

"No details of the future," the headmaster repeated. Albus wondered if he should ask… _no, James wouldn't give the answers anyway_. "So?"

"So…what?" he asked.

"So can you deliver the letter and help Mr. Potter shop for his school supplies?"

"Is that why you made me finish all my lesson plans as well as the syllabus?" he asked and not giving the man time to answer, he added. "Yes, I'll do it. It's not like you haven't been planning it all along, right?"

Albus chuckled. _Trust the man to be overly suspicious; he's almost as bad as Severus._ "Actually, I was going to send Hagrid to pick him up. But I suppose Harry wouldn't be as inconspicuous going with the man."

Aidan shook his head in exasperation. "Indeed," he sighed. "The date today?"

"July 29th, 1991. It's Monday," the Headmaster chirped.

He rolled his eyes. _I'm doing that a lot. Must be the environment._

"Well, alright then. I'll let you go now, it's pretty getting late. Use the Floo, my boy; it's connected to the private quarters in the castle. Now, off you pop."

He knew a dismissal when he heard one, Aidan stood and nodded to the headmaster. Then proceeded to his quarters via the fireplace.

* * *

When Aidan landed, it was with surprising grace and stepped into the sitting room. He would've normally gaped at the slightly opulent accommodation. Instead he went to his bedroom to do his normal nighttime routine before lying on the bed and immediately succumbing to Morpheus, hoping the next day would be less stressful.

Fate laughed.

The bitch.

* * *

**Hoped you enjoyed that. You guys know the drill.**

**~HuonParticlesAreHarmless**


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